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Google, Facebook and Twitter played key roles in Sunday's Super Bowl ad blitz - roles that these companies say will continue to have an impact on the brands far beyond the actual game.

Push to Social and ROI

Google has stepped up its courting of marketers considerably this year. As in the past it gave marketers that paid up to $2.8 million for each 30-second spot the opportunity to upload the ads on Google's Super Bowl Blitz page. What is different this year is the emphasis on social media buttons that allow viewers to pass them along or tweet about them. These sharing functions are likely to push advertisers ROI far more than any other web company (via Forbes).

Google also ran a banner ad on the YouTube home page pointing users to the commercials, where they could vote on their favorites. The ad that gets the most votes will get a free spot on the YouTube home page later in the month. When YouTube started posting Super Bowl ads four years ago, the system was ad-hoc, Jim Lecinski, Google managing director of U.S. sales told Forbes. "Now it's a program; it's a way of integrating the client," he says.

Who Goes Online During Halftime Anyway

Most of the 30-second ads that ran on Sunday were designed to send viewers to the internet - something that not everyone is likely to do when the big day is based around television. However a recent pre-game survey by comScore suggests that many viewers did indeed log on before, during or after the game to check out their tied-in internet campaigns.

Two-thirds of respondents said that they intended to log onto the internet on Super Bowl Sunday with the majority indicating they would do so before the game (77%) or after the game (53%). More than three out of ten also indicated they would log on during the game itself (32%) or during halftime (30%).

Of the respondents, 19% said they intended to send email and/or instant messages to friends or family about the Super Bowl, while 14% planned to look for recipe and party ideas and 14% said they would view video clips of old Super Bowl ads. 13% said they planned to visit the web sites of Super Bowl advertisers.

Building Buzz

Companies also used social media to build buzz around their brands - again with the goal of generating a longer lasting impact with consumers than a 30-second spot. (via Mashable).

Several brands are using their Fan Pages to inspire fans to share content and participate in Super Bowl-themed activities; most famously Coca-Cola's Live Positively app let fans share a virtual Coke bottle on Facebook before the game to watch a sneak peek of one of its Super Bowl spots. Coke donated $1 to the Boys & Girls Clubs of America for each bottle shared.

Virtual Goods

Coca-Cola is hardly alone - other companies are also using virtual goods to tie into the Super Bowl, according to Inside Facebook. Zynga’s FarmVille, with 75 million monthly active users, rolled out 10 limited edition football-themed virtual goods, including a Football Tree, Gnome Ref and Line Quacker - a duck with a football helmet - all of which may be purchased using in-game currency or Farm Cash.